Soap holder



Oct. 19, 1943. w, STEVENS 2,332,409

SOAPlHOLDER Filed Dec. 17, 1941 INVENTOR V JEiV:;?fea*eAug ATTORNEY N rEDQ sir-Ares Patented Oct. 1 9, 1943 a SOAP'HOLDEE g was w. Stevens, Glens Falls, N. Y; 3 applicaticn December 17, 1941,;Serial No.-423,286

I i 7 Claims. ken. 45 2 8) This invention relates to-holders iorf'a cakeor bar of soap :andit is the principal object ofthe invention to provide a holder having suction means to mount the holder on asuppor-tin'g-surv face, such as the side of a bath tub or the wall of a-bath-roomadjacent to the -bath-tubor washbowl, and adjustable means to --re1easa blyv retain a bar of soap-on the holder withfan exposed sur- 'face of the-bar of soap extending' parallelly cf the supporting surface whereby a wash-cloth or bath-cloth may readily be -wiped or' rubbed I over said exposed surface ofthe soapto-g'ather or remove oap therefrom and the soap'willf be uniformly used across saidsurfface. ii

It is another object er the invention to provide a holder for a bar or cake-effi's'oap having an arrangement of parts which may {be manufacturedand assembled at alow'cost.

It isa'further object-of the invention to pro vide the holder with soap retaining means ar ing meansshown in full lines asactuated in posi-' tion to permit the removal or positioning or a bar of soap from or on the'=holder,' and-'shown in dot and dashlines in soap securing position.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the holder with the soap retaining means aotu-ated to soap releasing position. 7 a

vFigure 4 is a sectional-viewiof the holder taken on the lined-4 of Figure 2' looking in the 'direction of the arrows. v

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view of actuating means for the soap retainingmeans in position actuating the retaining means in soap retaining position. i

Figure 6 is a perspective view of actuating means for the soap retainingmeans with the parts thereof separated from'each other.

In carryingout the-embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying'drawing, there is provided a holder or supportfor a bar ofsoapS-comprising a rectangular plate 6 slight- 1y tlarger than the -size-and*shape-- sea new bar of soap-and having-thecorners cut diagonally to form oblique edges 1 an'd the edge portions'o'f the plate between said oblique corner edges-7 bent upwardly-from. a face of the plate, a shown at tjto form ar -eoessedface-on the plate forsup porting a ba-r otsoap, the'bent or flange portions- 8 being of a depth to retain the soap against I i sliding movement on the plate and 'to" iorm'the recessed face of a si'zeand shape substantially the-same as a new bar of soap withthe flange portions 8 engaging the sides-of the *bar of soap, as shown in Figure "1. I The plates-may be :of any suitable material, such as metal or -plastic material; but a non-corrosive surfaced metal is preferable due to the cheapness iniworking and form ing the plate in the manner hereinafter .de-

scribed. f

The plate is adapted :to-be:=releasab1y mounted on a supporting surface s, such as the side of a bath-tub,-or the wall of abath-room adjacent l to a wash-bowLfbath-tuborshower, by suction.

means comprising rubber suction or'vacuum cups 9 of usual constructionhav'ing a metal shank' lfi fixedly embedded therein and secured to the plate '6 by engaging the shank in a suitableopen ing in the plate and securing' the shank in the opening by soldering or 'peening the end ef the shank over the recessed 'face *of the-plate; The shanks ill are inserted inthe plate 6 trom the face opposite the recessed face of the plate to have the suction cups 9 project from said opposite face, and in the-present illustration of the invention, there areprovided four suction cups with each cup mounted adjacent t an oblique corner edge [{whereby the plate'is-fii rnl-ymounted on the supporting surface s. Whenthe plate is mounted on the supporting surface s by the suction cups 9, the recessed face of the plate is exposed and extends in a plane-parallel to the supporting surface.

A 'barof tsoap S is engaged on the exposed recessedfface of the plate 6 and releasably; re

tained thereon by a pair of clamping cp -jaw members comprising an elongatedbody ll of relatively stiff material; such as :a strip of suitable metal, havingat one end'a "transversely' extending head I2 arranged with a series of pointed teeth 13 "at the free end and said head being bent upon itself to U or channelshape in cross section, as shown inFigure l, with the teeth 13' extending in parallel spaced relation to the 'portion of th head connected tothe bodyfli; Thebodies 'i [are slidab ly supported onthe face opposite-to the recessed face-of the -p1ate'-'6 by loop "or yoke portion 4 formed from the material of the plate by 'a pair of spaced slits extending transversely of the longitudinal axis of the plate and terminating equal distances from and on the opposite sides of said axis and bending th material between said slits from the opposite face of the plate, as shown in Figure 4. The yokes I4 are positioned adjacent to the opposite ends of the plate 6 and the bodies II are mounted in said yokes to position the teeth I3 to extend in a plane parallel of the recessed face of the plate and slightly above the flanges 8 at the opposite ends of the plate to adapt the teeth to engage and bite into the end edge portions of the bar of soap S on the plate.

The actuation of the jaw bodies II in a direction toward each other will movethe jaw teeth I3 into the bar of soap to retain the soap on the plate 6 and the actuation of jaw bodies I I in a direction from each other moves the jaw teeth I3 from the bar of soap to permit the removal of a used bar of soap from the recessed face of the plate 6 and the engagement of a fresh a lever, comprising a rod I5 havin one end bent laterallyto form a manipulating portion I6 having the free end curled inwardly upon itself, as shown atI'I. The rod I5 is rotatably supported from the face opposite the recessed face of the plate 6 by an ear I8 severed from the material of the plate and bent from the opposite face adjacent to a side edge of the plate and a pair of cars I9 severed from a portion of the material of the plate extending on the trans verse axis of the plate and transversely of the longitudinal axis of the plate with the free ends of th ears I9 on said longitudinal axis and said ears bent laterally from the opposite face of the plate on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis, as shown in Figure 3. The ears I8 and I9 are arranged with alined openings to rotatably sup-- port the rod I5 at the opposite end portions thereof. The inner ends of the jaw bodies I I are operatively and eccentrically connected to the rod I5 by a crank element comprising a flat member having a pair of spaced ears on the opposite sides thereof curled to circular shape to form eyelets 2| and is fixed tothe portion of the rod positioned between the ears I9 by engaging said member in a slot 22 in the end opposite the bent end I 6 of the rod, as shown in Figure 6, and the member 20 is fixed in said slot by rivets engaged in alinedopenings in the slotted end of the rod and the member 28, as shown at 23. The member 20 is pivotally connected to th jaw bodies II by a pin 24 engaged and fixe in each pair of eyelets 2I by clamping the material of the eyelets to the pin, and bending the inner end of each jaw member II about the pin, as shown at 25 in Figure 4. The rotation of the rod I5 in an are intermediate 90 and 180 degrees by actuating the manipulating portion I6 from the dotand dash line position to the full line position shown in Figure 2 will move the member 2| to the position shown in Figure 3 with the jaw teeth I3 spaced laterally from the end flanges 8, and the actuation of the manipulating portion I6 from the full line position to the dot and dash line position shown in Figure 2 will position the pins 24 in reverse relation to that shown in Figure 3 with the-inner end portions of the jaw bodies II extending transversely above and below the rod I5, as shown in Figure 5, and the jaw teeth I3 extending over the end flanges B and the recessed face of the plate 6,

as shown in dot and dash lines in Figure 2. Washers 26 are engaged on the rod I5 between the ears I9 and the opposite ends of the member 20 to take up longitudinal movement of the member 20 and facilitate rotation of the rod I5.

The jaw members are locked in either of their extreme actuated positions by actuating the manipulating portion I 6 downwardly beyond the plate to position the curled end I! below the plate, so that a pulling force applied to th jaw members will move the curled end' II against the bottom of the plate and prevent further rotation of the rod I5.

The position of the manipulating portion I5 "relative to the plate 6 will permit the actuation of the jaws I3 and the removal of a used bar of soap from the recessed face of the plate and the positioning of a fresh bar of soap on said face without requiring the removal of the plate 6 from the supporting surface s- ,Having'thus described my invention, I claim:

11. In a holder for a bar of soap, a plate having the front face arranged to support a bar of soap, means fixed on the back face of the plate to mount the plate on a supporting surface, a pair of members having jaws arranged at one end, slidably mounted on the back face of the plate and the jaws positioned in a plane extending parallelly of and spaced from the soap supporting face of the plate to engageopposite ends of the bar of-soap on the plate, and means rotatably mounted on the back face of the plate connected to the ends of the pair of members opposite the jaw ends thereof and manually operative to actuate said members to move the jaws of said members toward and away from opposite ends of the bar of soap on the plate.

2. A holder for a bar of soap as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuating means for the jaw members comprises a rod rotatably supported from the back face of the plate and having a portion pivotally and eccentrically connected to the jaw members and a manipulating portion arranged to engage a side edge portion of the plate and lock the jaw members against movement. I g

3. A holder for a'bar of soap as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuating means for the jaw members comprises a rod having one end bent laterally from the body thereof and the body rotatably supported on the back face of the plate with the laterally bent portion projecting from a side edge of the plate, and a member fixed on the rod having a pair of ears projecting from opposite sides thereof and said ears pivotally connected to the ends of the jaw members opposite the jaw ends of said members.

4. A holder for a bar of soap as claimed in claim 7, wherein the actuation of the rotatable member'through an arc of around degrees positions the manipulating portion in engagement with the back face of the plate and locks the jaw members against movement.

5. In a holder for a bar of soap, a plate to support a bar of soap on the front face thereof, and means mounted on the back face of the plate adapted to engage and support the plate on a supporting member, members mounted on the back face of the plate with one end of one member extending beyond one end of the plate and the end of the other member extending beyond the opposite end of the plate and said ends of said members arranged with jaws disposed at and having movement relative to the front face of the plate to grip and hold a bar of soap to the front face of the plate, and a crank element rotatably mounted on the back face of the plate connected to the ends of said members opposite the jaw ends manually rotatable to simultaneously actuate said members to move the'jaws into and out of gripping engagementwith a barof soap disposed relative to the face of vthe plate.

6. In a holder for a bar of soap, a plate the front of which is adapted for the engagement of a bar of soap, a pair of members mounted on the back face of the plate with one end of said members extending beyond the opposite ends of the plate and said ends arranged with jawsdisposed at the front face of the plate and having movement toward and away from each other to grip;

opposite portions of a bar of soap disposed at the front face of the plateand holding the bar of soap to the plate, and means rotatably mounted on the back face of the plateconnected to which the opposite ends of said pair of members are eccentrically connected, and said means tiveto the front face of the plate and retain said normally rotatable to simultaneously actuate said j pair of members to move the jaws into gripping engagement with the bar of soap disposed relamembers in said portion.

7. In a holder for a bar of soap, a plate having the edges flanged laterally from the front face.

thereof to be disposed at the sides of a bar of soap supported on said face, means mounted on' to engage opposite ends of a bar of soap on said I flanged face of the plate, and a member having a manipulating portion rotatably mounted on the back face of the plate to which the ends of said members are eccentrically connected and adapted to be actuated through an arc of more than- 90 degrees and less than 180 degrees by the manipulating portion to move the jaws into and out of engagement with a bar of soap on the flanged face of the plate.

JOSEPH W. STEVENS. 

